Conclusion. Playing with a slide is as hard or as easy as you want it to be. If you’re an experienced guitarist, you’ll quickly catch the basics. The hardest parts are working out how hard you need to press with the slide, and remembering to play the notes directly on the fret, which can be confusing at first.

Besides, Does slide damage guitar?

If your slide is hitting anything on your guitar besides the strings you are not slideing correctly. You can dent your fretboard if you’re careless. That’s one good reason to avoid playing slide when you’re drunk or otherwise wasted. If you pay attention to what you’re doing, I don’t see any problem.

Keeping this in mind, Can you play slide guitar on a regular guitar? “Slide guitar” refers to a specific type of guitar play. However, the slide guitar style play isn’t limited to just guitars. In theory, it can be used with any type of stringed instrument with a neck.

How do you get good at guitar slides?


5 Tricks to Sound Like an Expert Slide Guitar Player

  1. Change your target. We fretted-instrument folks are spoiled (as fretless bass players like to remind us) because we don’t have to worry about intonation. …
  2. Raise your action. …
  3. Try open tunings. …
  4. Work on your right-hand muting. …
  5. Work on pinpoint control.

Can you use a slide on any guitar?

“Slide guitar” refers to a specific type of guitar play. However, the slide guitar style play isn’t limited to just guitars. In theory, it can be used with any type of stringed instrument with a neck.

Is Open E Tuning bad for a guitar?

The potential problem with Open E Tuning is that it puts more tension on the neck of the guitar which can damage the neck. The fifth and fourth strings are tuned up a whole step. … For this tuning, there is a substantial overall increase in tension on the neck.

Can you use a slide on an acoustic guitar?

Each acoustic guitarist has their own preference and slide-playing style, so you may already know exactly which of these slides you want. But if you’re on the fence, I’d recommend the Clayton Brass Socket Guitar Slide. Heavier slides are best for acoustic guitars, meaning brass is a good option.

Can you play slide on an acoustic guitar?

Each acoustic guitarist has their own preference and slide-playing style, so you may already know exactly which of these slides you want. But if you’re on the fence, I’d recommend the Clayton Brass Socket Guitar Slide. Heavier slides are best for acoustic guitars, meaning brass is a good option.

What tuning is best for slide guitar?

Open D tuning is very popular with slide guitar (or ‘bottleneck’) players, as it allows them to play complete chords using the slide. This tuning is also used in regular (non-slide) guitar playing. The full and vibrant sound it produces – particularly on an acoustic guitar – also makes it ideal for fingerstyle playing.

What kind of slide does Derek Trucks use?

Widely hailed as the greatest slide player since duane all Man, Derek trucks has taken modern slide playing far beyond his Southern rock roots into jazz, Latin, and Indian music. Derek’s constant companion on this musical journey a medicine bottle slide has been replicated as the Derek trucks signature slide.

What can I use as a slide for guitar?


12 Random Objects That a Guitar Player Can Use at a Gig Instead of a Slide

  • Beer Bottle. This is the obvious first choice, and is readily available at most gigs. …
  • Mic Stand. This is another fairly commonly used substitute for a slide solo. …
  • Lighter. …
  • Billiard Ball. …
  • Battery. …
  • Harmonica. …
  • Stripper Pole. …
  • Microphone.

How do I know what size slide to get for my guitar?


Make sure you have a slide that’s the appropriate weight for your guitar’s string height and gauge:

  1. Bigger strings, higher action = heavier slide.
  2. Lighter strings, lower action = lighter slide.

What is open E tuning used for?

Open E tuning is often used for slide guitar, as it constitutes an open chord, which can be raised by moving the slide further up the neck. Most notably Duane Allman used open E for the majority of his slide work, such as in “Statesboro Blues”.

Who uses open E tuning?

The most common open tunings for slide guitar playing are open E, D, G and A. Allman and Trucks, widely considered to be two of the greatest slide players ever, have mostly preferred to play slide in open E tuning, which is spelled, low to high, E B E G# B E.

Are alternate tunings bad for your guitar?

Does Alternate Tuning Hurt Your Guitar? While alternate tunings can shorten the life of your guitar strings, changing tunings is unlikely to damage your guitar. Most alternate tunings are actually lower in overall tension than standard tuning, so there’s no real risk of applying more tension than the guitar can handle.

What can I use as a guitar slide?


12 Random Objects That a Guitar Player Can Use at a Gig Instead of a Slide

  • Beer Bottle. This is the obvious first choice, and is readily available at most gigs. …
  • Mic Stand. This is another fairly commonly used substitute for a slide solo. …
  • Lighter. …
  • Billiard Ball. …
  • Battery. …
  • Harmonica. …
  • Stripper Pole. …
  • Microphone.

Can you play a lap steel guitar like a normal guitar?

Having said that, you can certainly get close to a lap steel sound using a conventional guitar. You’ll need a precise touch, to get solid enough contact with the strings, without pressing onto the frets. Lap steel players use open chord tunings such as D-G-D-G-B-D.

Are slide guitars tuned differently?

So there isn’t an official or ‘proper’ tuning to use when playing slide guitar. Even so, we’ll share the most common slide guitar tunings with you. But it’s important you know that ‘slide guitar’ is more about the sound characteristics rather than pitch or tunings.

Did George Harrison play slide in standard tuning?

Harrison played in standard tuning and wore his slide on his 4th finger. … Playing in standard tuning requires very careful string damping, since, unlike in an open tuning, any notes inadvertently sounded on neighboring strings can in many cases sound “off key.”

What tuning does Justin Johnson use?

This slide guitar riff is in standard tuning (EADGBE).

Does Derek Trucks use a glass slide?

Signature Glass Slide from Dunlop

Derek Trucks has been making a name for himself as a virtuoso slide player since age 11. … The heavy glass of the Trucks Signature produces pristine, bright, piercing tones from your treble strings, as well as warmer tones from your bass strings.

How do you get the Derek Trucks tone?

Whichever brand you go for though, just make sure you use a glass slide. Metal, brass and porcelain/bone slides all sound different to glass. Glass has a warmer and thicker tone, and that is what you need if you want to sound like Derek Trucks.

Can you use PVC as a guitar slide?

it is fine. as you get a handle on your technique you will find yourself getting more and more slides. PVC is too soft to make any decent sound.